'Letters from Iraq' told through music

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Oud master Rahim AlHaj spoke to The World about his new album, "Letters from Iraq."

Credit:

Douglas Kent Hall

We're excited to share a new collaboration today. We're calling it "FutureFolk." The series is in partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

To help kick things off, we turn to Rahim AlHaj, an Iraqi-American composer and oud player. He has a new album out called "Letters from Iraq."

AlHaj lives in New Mexico now, but the songs on the album are inspired by actual letters sent by people in Iraq.

He told us the moving story behind one composition, "Running Boy." (Listen to the audio above.)

All the songs on "Letters from Iraq" — performed by AlHaj with a string quintet and percussion — convey stories about life in war-torn Iraq. AlHaj received letters of loss and pain, but also letters of hope and resilience.

We look forward to having more musicians like Rahim AlHaj share their music and tell their stories. We're also excited to share in this new collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Watch the performance below to hear another song from AlHaj's album.

One more thing...

PRI takes a global approach to the news of the day. We help you understand how what happens around the world matters in Washington and in your neighborhood. Today more than ever, we need conversations, perspectives and diverse voices.